Chapter 96:     Complications

ART reports events of Sunday, 7 September--

11:00 AM

I'd gone out to Camp with some lunch munchies for our friends out there.  
Elaine thought it was a pity for them to be exiled away from the house for 
the five-six days until the shyøma went away, so usually sent them 
something nice to eat or drink.  Our "refugees", who had never known such 
service in their lives, were quickly getting used to it.  They certainly 
liked it anyway, the tapas vanished almost as soon as I brought them out. 

Elaine was sympathetic for our guests, but would much rather subject me to 
the shyøma-smell than herself.  "You're a man," was her argument, "you 
LIKE to get horny!"  I always protested that I didn't have time, not because 
I didn't want to do Elaine any favor she needed, but because we had this 
little game where she would offer, "Okay, you do this favor, and if you're 
still horny when you get back I'll do you a favor."  

Of course the shyøma got me excited and since there were effectively no 
women available out there I would run back home with big plans.  But I never 
won the prize; by the time I got back all shyøma effects had worn off and 
left me feeling weary and with absolutely no interest in sex with anyone.  
No, not even my wife. 

(A note to Melly, an observation for her dissertation on shyøma: it may 
be the most effective aphrodisiac in the world, but it is also the best 
AN-aphrodisiac, or sexual downer.  For a 46-year old white male like me, the 
after-effect of one hour smelling shyøma is = to one chaste night.)

We had a routine of calling ahead to warn them a human was coming so that 
any woman at camp would leave until we were gone again, because the smell of 
their shyøma had almost become toxic for us.  Although that problem 
had been solved since Magga had given us a supply of "little blue flowers", 
the same antidote for shyøma-overdose Melly had taken yesterday.  I ate 
some of them and could feel my erection finally relax just a little.  What 
a relief, it had felt about to explode. 

Now I could even tolerate being around the women, which was fun since I was 
so aroused.  They were even looking good, so I flirted with them--all in 
innocent fun, nobody being available until Full Moon anyway.  Although they 
each promised to give me a nice yøramma if I came to the Kha-rat, like 
Melly was going to do.

The women were very pleased about Melly coming to their celebration.  She 
seemed to be quite important to them, not as an interesting guest, but as an 
element of their new life here.  They asked me to come as well and to bring 
Ma-elain-a.  Dabababet and Daworget offered to give my wife the yøramma of 
her life.  Those guys!

Adam finally showed up, he'd had a big night with Melly and Lissandra and 
had dallied over breakfast.  And probably over them, the lucky bastard.

"What, now you're going to practice celibacy for the rest of the day?"  I 
had to laugh, "Or maybe you're just here for a recharge."

"The whole point of shyøma-celibacy is to accumulate power for a work of 
magic.  Melly and Liss are probably the best pieces of magic I've ever had." 

I didn't laugh, although it sounded like a clever/crude play on words; he 
was neither kidding nor bragging.  But I was puzzled, considering my 
experience with shyøma's after effects:

"You've been hanging out in this poisonous atmosphere for a couple of days 
now--how the hell could you have had sex with TWO girls last night?"

"Oh, I almost couldn't," Adam admitted, "but fortunately they're small, so I 
still had enough drive left to show two Nokhso girls a pretty good time 
without doing them any damage."

Now THAT was bragging, but before I could come up with a clever response Adam 
admitted: "Although Melly IS kind of hurting today--just stiff and sore, I 
hope--because she couldn't get it rough enough yesterday.  It was almost too 
much for me, but I felt I should give her exactly what she wanted after so 
many years of giving her zero."  

My cell phone rang.  It was Elaine.  "We've got a problem: the Sinsleys 
are here looking for Peter."



I walked briskly back to the house.  It only took about ten minutes, but it 
was like passing from one planet to another.  From alien Squatchland all the 
way back to the USA, from shyøma-induced zaniness to fresh air and 
coherent thinking, from moral freedom to potential guilt and shame. Half-
way back I was already berating myself for all the lustful feelings I had 
been enjoying, so by the time I reached the house I was just negative enough 
to relate to the Sinsleys.

They were on the back terrace with Elaine, who had offered them coffee.  As 
I arrived they stood up and approached me.  I was ready for one of Felix 
Sinsley's accusations, but not for Sarah Sinsley's tears. 

"Have you seen Peter?  He's run away again and we're so worried!"

"Uh, well no.  I haven't." 
 
""Peter...well, he's been obsessed about Melly all over again, and we're 
guessing that he came here looking for her," Sinsley said, sounding more 
unhappy than aggressive, "This is the only place we could think of."

"No clues?"  

"Nothing.  Look, we don't want to bother you about this.  I know you folks 
are busy with all the Nokhon Nation stuff and the music and all that.  But 
would it be okay if we just looked around the woods? You know, just to make 
sure Peter's not hiding out there somewhere."

A perfectly reasonable request.  But not just NOW, with a crowd of randy 
sasquatches about to go group-orgasmic.  The presence of a few Nokhons was 
public knowledge, but I did NOT want the Sinsleys to snoop around and get 
a whiff of shyøma.  He would only spread the word that something even more 
funny than usual was going on over at the Forest Place. 

At least Elaine was thinking clearly, but then she hadn't just had her 
emotions addled by erotic overload.  "Art, why don't you call Adam?  He and 
the other Nokhons can scout out those woods better and faster than any of 
us ever could."

"Good idea," Sinsley said, looking at me pleadingly, "we'd really appreciate 
it, Art... old buddy."

It was indeed a good idea.  Especially if Peter really WAS out there.  I 
called Adam and explained.  I could hear Magga and Masnia tinkle-giggling 
in the background, but Adam came up to speed with the need to deal with the 
situation and said he'd get right on it.

So the Sinsleys would wait to see if Adam found Peter, of course.  I was in 
no humor to be host to him just then, I had things to do, but could not be 
completely unsympathetic to his situation.  

I offered them something stronger than coffee, Sarah accepted a glass of 
Liebfraumilch and it was Southern Comfort on the rocks for Felix and 
myself.  The idea was that then I would move on to the study and process 
today's e-mails about the new Nokhon Nation Embassy, me being a busy man.

But Sarah Sinsley asked the fatal question, "What IS that smell? A perfume?"  
She looked at me with seductive eyes.  Yes, seductive.  Oops.

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that myself," Felix said, "Just been too 
polite to ask."  He even guffawed.  His mood had improved.

"It's a very...exciting scent," Sarah said, rocking her hips.

"Well, I guess!  It sorta smells like pu..." Sinsley was still being too 
polite to say Pussy, but that could change anytime soon, "...perfume."

Elaine and I looked at each other.  I sniffed at my thick wool shirt. Yes, 
there it was.  I'd been so used to such massive doses of shyøma that I 
hadn't even noticed the wispy effluvium clinging to my clothes. 
 
I was sitting closest to Felix, but he was looking over at Elaine. Staring, 
actually.  "It's very kind of you to help us out here," he said.  To her, not 
to me.  I recognized what was happening.  

I stood up to move away from him, taking my traces of shyøma with me, 
assuming he'd cool down soon.  "Actually, I need to check some e-mails.  Our 
new business, you know.  Be right back."  So what if it was rude?

But I'd no sooner come into the office than Sarah was right behind me.
  
"Oh, this is where you rule the Bigfoot world?"  

I turned to say something ...anything, but her face was right in mine.  She 
moved even closer and sniffed at my beard. "Oh, it's an after-shave?  Very... 
well, just very!"  Her eyes were no longer seductive; they were saying Plow 
Me Now!   

I tried to say, "Look, Sarah..." but she stopped me with a kiss.  A real 
smooch.

I've always considered Sarah Sinsley an attractive woman, but had never 
dreamed making a move on her.  All things considered, it would just cause 
far too much trouble, meaning with both Elaine and Felix.  Which reminded 
me that I'd better rescue Elaine real quick.  

It was not her fault, Sarah was deeper into a shyøma-rush than I was, it 
was new to her and I'd been accustomed to frequent exposure.  I'd also eaten 
my little blue antidote flowers today and so had Elaine, which was becoming 
standard procedure for everyone in the house until the shyøma passed for 
this month.  

I tried to push Sarah away gently but she pulled my hands down onto her 
breasts.  As I said, Sarah is an attractive woman, but fortunately I was 
still so burned out from exposure to intense levels of shyøma that I was 
immune to boobs.  Well, almost.

Okay, now I'm getting silly, but so was the situation.  I somehow got us back 
into the other room, where Felix was still only halfway to where Elaine was 
sitting.  Still, she looked relieved to see me, noticed that my shirt had 
been tugged halfway out of my pants, comprehending that we both had the same 
problem.

"Maybe I'd better call Adam again, see how the search for your son is coming 
along?"

We could see the question register on both their faces:  Oh yeah, our son is 
missing.  That's why we're here, not to flirt.

Adam reported back that they had already searched the woods in a large radius, 
all six squatches having spread out and taken a section, running through the 
forest at squatch-speed.  Very efficient.  Peter Sinsley was not within 10 
miles of our land, at least not toward the mountains.  Towards downtown Monroe 
was something else, they could not search busy roads and populated housing 
zones.

I told the Sinsleys something to that effect, suggested that they look in 
town again.  Promised that I'd call them if Peter showed up here, see you 
later, so long.

They left, but kept looking back at our woods as they walked out to their 
car on Old Pipe Line Road.


12:15

Lissandra had been out the door and driven into Monroe to help her mother 
with some Sunday project hours before Melly finally got up out of bed.  That 
was unusual for Melly, who was almost never a sleepyhead.  Elaine was about 
to go upstairs and check on her, when the girl in question came hobbling down 
the stairs in a bathrobe, stiff and sore as Adam had said.  Barely able to 
walk, in fact.

"Wasn't that the...ow ow ow!..." she was calling on her long slow way down 
the steps, "...the Sinsleys?"

"Ohmygod, Melly," Elaine mothered, "are you all right?"

"Oh yeah--ow!--I'm good. Don't worry, I'll be--oooh ooo...got any aspirin?"

"What have you DONE to yourself?"

Melly was clearly reluctant to say, so I explained what Adam had told me,  
Elaine scowled, a mad mommy.  "Oh, that BAD boy!"

"No no," Melly grunted, "not his fault.  I DEMANDED that he... well, give it 
to me good.  So he did, it was great!  He was a GOOD boy!"

I helped Melly to the sofa so she could lie down as Elaine went after aspirin 
and water, muttering about the serious talk she was going to have with her 
irresponsible and reckless son.

"Okay, the Sinsleys:" Melly insisted, "what the hell were they doing here?"  
I told her. 

"Peter?  But he's practically a cripple, how could he be wandering around in 
the woods?  And why our woods?"

"They said he's obsessed with you, Melly...again."

"Oh, shit!"  She stared off into space for a few seconds.  "Poor Peter, he's 
just so pathetic.  Well, I hope Addy finds him and can deliver him to his 
folks." 

"You're not worried about a potential psychopath hiding in the woods who may 
be dedicated to doing you harm?"

Melly smiled, mysterious and Mona Lisa like.  "Not after my day with the 
witches."  But that was all she would say about that.

Elaine asked how many aspirin Melly wanted, she said "Forty" but got three. 
"Melly, maybe we'd better get you to a hospital, do X-Rays..."

Melly shook her head, then reached up to caress Elaine's concerned mother-
face, "No, Mommy, I really am fine, my body's just been through a real 
workout.  I'll be moving up and around in a few minutes, when the aspirin 
kicks in."

"But WHY did you make Addy be so hard on you?"

"Because I've wanted him so bad for so long, and because all that time I've 
been AFRAID of what sex would really be like with...well, with a squatch.  
Maybe everybody was right about it being too dangerous, maybe it wouldn't 
work."

"Well, look at you!" Elaine wailed, "they were right!"

"No, Elai... no, Mom!  They were wrong!  I pushed Addy way farther than he 
was willing to go, just because I needed to see what MY own limits were. Yes, 
I'm stiff, I'm sore, and that's all!  I could take him on again tonight easy 
(long as I could just lie there).  And I can take on those other squatches 
tomorrow night, because they'll be as gentle as Addy was before I made him 
go all Macho Squatcho.

"Besides, he made love with Liss last night too and she's just fine."

"Ah yes, you three and your open relationship..."

"Come on, Mom, our relationship isn't open, it's a threesome and it works.  
Besides, none of us here--including you--are locked into the Middle-Class 
American moral standard here, we're all becoming slightly Nokhon."  

An hour later Melly got up from the sofa and limped into the office. She did 
seem to be intact, nothing broken.  She tried to do some work concerning 
Squatch & Friends but was too beat, ended up watching a DVD and taking it 
easy.  It was Sunday, after all.

Later she walked all the way over to the telephone and called Doug to update 
him on her newly resurrected sex life, whether he really wanted all the juicy 
details or not.  Elaine shouted for her to invite him over for dinner.  

Adam came back to the house to check on Melly, glad to see that she was moving 
around, helping Elaine and me make dinner.  We watched the two of them together, 
happier than they had ever been, together after all the cruel negativity of the 
last few weeks.  Lissandra came home and they both embraced and kissed her, 
talking and laughing together, the three of them so obviously in love.

  
7:30 PM
 
Melly was limping around much better by the time Doug arrived for dinner, 
so there was minimal outrage about what Adam had done to his poor innocent 
little daughter.  He bit his tongue and did not even say, "I told you so!"
In fact, he was even magnanimous enough to say, "Okay, so you can take more 
abuse than I thought, I was foolish to worry."

That reminded Melly of something, she turned to Adam: "You know, I was 
hurt much worse the last time you worked me over, on that rooftop..."

Adam immediately looked ashamed, "Aw Mel, I'm really sorry about..."

"Shush, Addy, we're forgiving all that--what I was going to say is that 
Dagrolyt gave me a Sha-haka massage that fixed me right up.  Can you do 
that?"  She looked hopeful.

"Sorry Mell, no," he shrugged, "I haven't learned much haka-healing yet."

"Yeah, well, put it on your list of things to learn, okay?"  She gave him 
a little kiss. 

Adam had to go back to the other Nokhons, it was the last night before the 
Ma-mløt-klys and the males had some magic to finish.  As usual, Adam 
couldn't tell us much about it, magic being like that.  

So those poor girls would have to spend a whole night unravaged.  But they 
didn't complain, I think they'd both been thoroughly satisfied and then some.  
Melly had bragged that she could easily take him on again tonight, but was 
still limping, so perhaps a break was in order anyway.  

After dinner we had yet another discussion concerning the Kha-rat, the Full 
Moon now being only one night away.

Melly stated her case, "I think we should ALL go to the Kha-rat together, as 
Addy's family.  This is the most important Nokhon ritual and would be a 
bonding of our two tribes into one."

"Especially bonding when you and Liss get pregnant," I reminded her.

"Squatches can't impregnate us."

"Squatches?  If we ALL go what about Doug, Pokey..and me?"

"Nope.  I started taking the pill again when we went to L.A."  Everyone 
stared at Melly, she shrugged, "Hey, just in case, you know." 

"And I never stopped taking them," Lissandra admitted, "though it's hard to 
remember what for, been so long." 

"I agree with Melly" Doug stated, "we all should go together."

"And I disagree," Elaine countered, "because a shyøma sex orgy would be far 
too dangerous for us humans, both physically and morally." 

"Sure, it's scary, for me too, but we should just be brave," Melly rebutted.

"Speaking of brave," Lissandra interrupted, "where IS our noble Indian 
Brave and his tiny Geisha?  Pokey should be in on this."

"Actually, no one knows where they are," Elaine reported, "Pokey and Maki 
have dropped out of sight ever since the  shyøma incident."

"They're probably still screwing on shyøma in his teepee," Doug kidded.

I tried to get back on track with a serious suggestion, "As for observing: we 
could set up a video camera to monitor the whole event without any of us 
being caught up in shyøma." 

"If Adam will accept that," Doug countered, "but I want to be right down 
there in the middle of it.  This is going to be a primal experience and I 
don't want to dilute it."

"I'd sorta like to do that too," Lissandra said, "but those squatches are 
all so BIG!  We really could get killed, just by accident."

"Nonsense," Doug asserted, "Squatches have far reflexes better than ours, 
they never stumble, they're in perfect control of themselves," 

"Maybe not with shyøma driving them sex-crazy," Elaine cautioned, "Could 
be like being drunk, we don't know." 

"Well, we've all experienced it by now," Doug stated, "it got us horny but 
did any of you feel debilitated or helpless?" 

"How would we know?" Lissandra asked, "We were all laying down on the floor--
and each other." 

"I'm not so much afraid of our squatch friends hurting me," Elaine said, "as 
I dread what I might do WITH them while under the influence.  Or with all of 
YOU, for that matter." 

"Oh come on, Lainie, you were never ashamed of a little bit of group sex 
before," Doug reminded her with a wicked grin, "in fact, you used to like it."

"I was young then."

"And you still are," Doug said without a grin.  Although Elaine did grin, 
flattered.

"But Elaine's right," I agreed, "about there being some moral dilemmas.  We'd 
better keep our distance.  At least for this first Kha-rat."

"Oh, Art, you WANT to go, I know you do," Melly wheedled, "come with us!"

"That's exactly what Art's afraid of, Melly," Elaine explained, "coming with 
you.  You do know what I mean?"

"Ohh...yeah, I get it.  But hey, no problem, Art: I INVITE you to come with 
me all you want at the Kha-rat: it's an orgy, we're both adults, it'll 
be nice."

"Oh, I'm sure it would be nice...but I can't DO that, Melly, wouldn't be 
right.  Besides, I'm married..."

"Elaine, is it all right if I have sex with Art?  Pleeeease?"

This was getting embarrassing so I said, "Maybe I should do what Doug did-- 
have Adam sell me that same promise..."

"Absolutely NOT!" Melly shouted, jumping to her feet, "I have HAD IT with 
that horrible promise!"  She clearly meant it.

She noticed that she had startled us, continued in a more moderate tone: 

"Everybody here knows just how much GRIEF that stupid promise has caused both 
Addy and me.  I mean, it was a good move for my Dad to take it on himself--
in every way.  But no one else, please!  I'd rather just go ahead and fuck 
you one and all than endure that EVIL curse again.  Much rather.  
Might even get off on it, who knows?"

"Well, that might just happen," I tried to explain, "You do realize that the 
shyøma will make us do some things we might regret later..."

"No it won't," Melly insisted, "I was in the middle of it all day yesterday 
and I think I have a feel for it now.  Sure, it makes you horny, but it 
doesn't make you mean.  Besides, Art, you would NEVER regret having sex with 
me and you know it!"

Lissandra spoke up, "Mel's right: I had Pokey on shyøma and sure don't 
regret that one little bit.  Even tho I may have pissed Maki off and even 
though I also got laid with the love of my life last night, I'm sill 
feeling a crazy-happy buzz about Pokey and me getting to have that moment 
together.  It was a positive experience, not negative."

"Well, I might just go away until the Kha-rat is over," Elaine announced.

"I'm not missing it for anything," Doug insisted.

"Me neither!" Melly proclaimed. "I mean, how could I? I'm an Anthropologist 
with access to an extreme cultural event of an undocumented tribe!  This is 
exactly what I've been studying for, a Kha-rat is my field work!  If the 
price for that experience is to have some nice sex with a few friends I 
already love anyway, I'll pay it!  As Dad said, Screw morality!"

"Actually," Doug commented, "this little group of US just happens to be the 
leading human authority of Nokhon culture.  We are the only experts in the 
world and yet we know so little.  How can we NOT go to the Kha-rat?"

"But Addy forbids it," Elaine mentioned.

"Not anymore," Melly informed us, "He's accepted that I'll be coming, Dad 
too.  Besides, the other squatches say they WANT us to come!"

"Yes, they've invited me too, "Elaine admitted, "and maybe I will go someday.  
I do understand that a Kha-rat is more than just an orgy.  But I'm not ready 
to subject myself to what it takes to get through the whole ceremony.  Not 
yet." 

"Okay, Elaine," Melly shows her disappointment with a shrug, but then pops up 
into her live-wire chipper cheerleader act, "So then--WHO is COMING with Dad 
and me to the Kha-rat?  Let's hear 'em!" 

Playing along, Doug chipped in with his best TV Ad voice, "Yeah, come on, 
girls n' guys, it'll be cool, it'll be cosmic and it'll be FUN!"

"Art?" she pointed at me, no escape, "I KNOW you want to!  If just to 
nail me.  And maybe Liss too, huh?"

"Sure, I WANT to, but..."

"No buts!  You're coming," Melly gave me a special smile, "and we SHALL come 
together!"  Doug broke into the Beatles Come Together song.

"So Liss?" Melly begged, "I need you there to back me up.  You gotta come!"

"Ohhh, I dunno, Mel.  I do sorta want to but it's pretty scary, those 
squatches are just so BIG!"

"Oh come on, Addy's even bigger and you did him EASY last night."  

"MEL-LY!"  Lissandra was embarrassed, something never seen before. 

"But one more thing," Melly stated, "if we DO all end up in a wild frenzied 
orgy together and if ANY guy (other than Dad) turns me down because he's 
promised never to EVER fuck me... I promise to HIT him!"